It was a very busy spring session in Springfield this year, with almost 6,700 bills introduced in the General Assembly. Our advocacy campaigns this spring were also incredibly successful, with our highest ever response rate and with almost all of our targeted legislation passing both houses and signed into law by the governor. Thank you … Continue reading A Very Successful Spring 2023 Legislative Session
2 Minutes to Make a Difference
The spring session of the Illinois General Assembly wraps up soon, and there are several bills that Illinois PTA is advocating for that have already passed one house and need your support to help get them to the governor’s desk. The links to our campaigns for each of these bills are below. Taking action just … Continue reading 2 Minutes to Make a Difference
Get Ready to Advocate
PTAs do a lot for kids, from providing programs to support learning, to engaging families in their children’s education, to raising funds to support their work and improve the lives of children. But PTAs make their biggest difference when they advocate, because through advocacy, PTAs affect the lives not just of the children who show … Continue reading Get Ready to Advocate
Spring 2022 Legislative Successes
This being an election year, the Illinois General Assembly wrapped up their spring session in early April rather than at the end of May. Since the governor is required to take action on bills within 60 days of them being sent for signing, the fate of only a handful of bills remain uncertain. Here are … Continue reading Spring 2022 Legislative Successes
Why EBF Funding Matters
One of the issues Illinois PTA will be supporting at the 2022 Illinois PTA Convention and Advocacy Conference in Springfield on March 29-30 is increased funding for the Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) formula. A new report from the Professional Review Panel (PRP), a group created by the Illinois General Assembly to oversee EBF funding and recommend … Continue reading Why EBF Funding Matters
How to schedule a meeting with your legislator
The Illinois PTA Advocacy Conference and Convention is coming up on March 29-30, 2022 in Springfield. As part of the event, attendees will be meeting with legislators at the Capitol on the afternoon of March 29th. Here’s how to set up a meeting with your representative or senator. Find Your Legislator Even if you know … Continue reading How to schedule a meeting with your legislator
Take 2 Minutes to Tell the Governor to Support School Funding!
Governor Pritzker’s budget address is coming up on February 2, 2022. Illinois PTA is encouraging all PTA members to send a note to the governor asking him to include at least $350 million in increased funding to the Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) formula for FY23. The governor did not include increased EBF funding in last year’s … Continue reading Take 2 Minutes to Tell the Governor to Support School Funding!
Advocacy Matters!
PTA was founded for advocacy. Alice McLellan Birney, a widowed schoolteacher, saw the plight of children in her community and felt someone should be speaking up for them. With Phoebe Apperson Hearst, she founded the National Congress of Mothers in 1897, now known as the National PTA. Illinois PTA will continue this tradition with our … Continue reading Advocacy Matters!
Celebrating 2021 Legislative Successes
The Illinois General Assembly finished up their spring session in mid-June, and there is a lot for Illinois PTA members to celebrate. Here are the highlights from the spring. Note that many of these bills still await the signature of the governor to become law. Budget By far, the biggest success of the session was … Continue reading Celebrating 2021 Legislative Successes
Advocate for Education Funding Now!
Illinois PTA has advocated for education funding for decades and was instrumental in helping to pass the Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) formula in 2017. In passing the EBF formula, the legislature promised to provide an additional $350 million every year to the formula to bring Illinois schools up to adequate levels of funding. Last year, no new money … Continue reading Advocate for Education Funding Now!
Elections—A Guide for PTAs
Local elections are coming up on April 6, 2021, and it is these elections, often featuring school board races and school funding referenda, that PTAs and their members are most often involved with. Because PTAs are 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, the IRS sets specific limits on what PTAs can and can’t do regarding elections. Failure to … Continue reading Elections—A Guide for PTAs
What the Education Omnibus Bill Means for Your Child’s Education
The Illinois General Assembly wrapped up its legislative session with a lame duck session in January just before the new legislators were sworn in. Among the bills passed was HB2170, known as the Education Omnibus Bill. As an omnibus bill, HB2170 contains lots of different pieces of legislation ranging from early childhood education all the way … Continue reading What the Education Omnibus Bill Means for Your Child’s Education
Illinois PTA Supports Governor’s End to Seclusion
Illinois PTA strongly supports Governor JB Pritzker’s decision to end seclusion of students by schools. The move comes following a ProPublica Illinois investigation in conjunction with the Chicago Tribune into the use of restraint and seclusion in Illinois public schools. The investigation documented more than 20,000 incidents from the 2017-2018 school year and through early … Continue reading Illinois PTA Supports Governor’s End to Seclusion
Advocacy Day 2019—A Challenging and Rewarding Day
Illinois PTA hosted is Advocacy Day in Springfield last Wednesday, February 6th. Though the weather did not cooperate, making travel difficult or impossible for some PTA advocates, Illinois PTA was still able to visit with every legislator’s staff and meet with a few legislators as well. A few of our advocates who had ducked in … Continue reading Advocacy Day 2019—A Challenging and Rewarding Day
Celebrating Legislative Successes in 2018—Education Issues
As we approach Illinois PTA Advocacy Day in Springfield on February 6, 2019, we are taking the opportunity to reflect on the substantial legislative gains Illinois PTA made on issues affecting our children and youth in the areas of health, including mental health, safety, gun control, social and emotional learning, and special education. Today’s article … Continue reading Celebrating Legislative Successes in 2018—Education Issues
Celebrating Legislative Successes in 2018—Child Safety
Illinois PTA Advocacy Day in Springfield is coming on February 6, 2019, and as a lead up, we are taking the opportunity to reflect on the substantial legislative gains Illinois PTA made on issues affecting our children and youth in the areas of health, including mental health, safety, gun control, social and emotional learning, and … Continue reading Celebrating Legislative Successes in 2018—Child Safety
Celebrating Legislative Successes in 2018—Children’s Health
This week, Illinois gets a new governor and a new General Assembly. It also provides an opportunity to reflect on the substantial legislative gains on issues Illinois PTA supported affecting our children and youth in the areas of health, including mental health, safety, gun control, social and emotional learning, and special education. You can help … Continue reading Celebrating Legislative Successes in 2018—Children’s Health
Illinois PTA Guide to the Midterm Elections
The midterm election is just three weeks away on November 6th. Here are some things PTA members should know before heading to the polls. Voter Registration It is too late to register with a mail-in paper voter registration form for the November 6thelection, but you can register online until October 21st. Illinois also has same-day … Continue reading Illinois PTA Guide to the Midterm Elections
Your Advocacy Matters, Especially Now
The school year is winding down, and many PTAs and members are thinking about end-of-the-year parties and summer activities. But the end of May also marks the end of the Illinois legislative session, and many of the issues that the General Assembly still faces will have a significant effect on your child and their school. … Continue reading Your Advocacy Matters, Especially Now
Does Advocacy Matter?
PTA was founded 120 years ago to focus on advocacy on behalf of children, and many things we take for granted today—child labor laws, the juvenile justice system, childhood immunizations, the school lunch program—happened because of PTA advocacy. But when we look back at those examples today, our thoughts may lean towards those being obvious … Continue reading Does Advocacy Matter?
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